The Chinese Exhibition

A Selection of Recent Archaeological Finds from the People's Republic of China

Free entry

NGV International

Ground Level

19 Jan 77 – 6 Mar 77

This landmark 1977 exhibition was seen as an important step towards stronger cultural relations between Australia and China. In an introduction to the exhibition’s catalogue Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser wrote that the ‘spirit in which these treasures were offered is fair evidence of the relationship that is developing between both countries at all levels’.

The exhibition included more than 200 objects and artefacts unearthed during a rapid series of excavation projects undertaken following the 1949 Cultural Revolution. These included the 500,000-year-old fossil skull of ‘Peking Man’; 14th-century relics from the Yuan dynasty; bronze, lacquer, jade, and textile artefacts from Han dynasty tombs; and pottery and sculpture from the Sung, Liao, Kin and Yuan dynasties.

Touring dates & venues

The Art Gallery of New South Wales
25 Mar – 18 May 77

The Art Gallery of South Australia
9–29 Jun 77